The single best way to improve your health is to improve your mindset. Change your mind, and everything changes. The way we think determines what we do, the excuses we tell ourselves, the choices we make, the discipline we show and the effort we give. Forget the diet and exercise strategies you think you need to start with, and get your mind right. Overcoming mental limitations is a big part of successful weight loss. If you’re not willing to get out of your comfort zone, you should probably turn the page, because I don’t have much to say that’s going to apply to you. Everything I’m writing about is transformation.
Your weight, and how you feel right now, reflects what you believe you deserve to look like. Your inner image is reflected on the outside. It’s the way you present to the world. The care you take of your body speaks volumes about how you value yourself. Sometimes you just need to upgrade your identity and your beliefs in yourself. What’s going on in your head that says “I need to keep on this extra 50 pounds”? You need to get in touch with yourself, and be honest in a way you’ve probably never been. If you’re using food to assuage uncomfortable emotions, you’re hitting emotional roadblocks in your health journey.
Before any successful weight-loss journey begins, you need to dig deep and get into the psychological, social and spiritual aspects that are driving your behaviors and creating the health issue that you have. If you don’t believe you can do something, you’re right, you probably can’t. I’ve had clients at appointment one say, “I’m never going to be able to do this.” Don’t try to do something, because ultimately, trying is a lack of commitment. If your self-talk is negative you’ll never win. If you fuel your weight-loss efforts with feelings of hatred, self-loathing, defeat, then you’re bound to fail. You’ve already rejected yourself. You have to initiate your weight-loss journey in a whole new way.
Sometimes I have to be a health detective with my clients. If I just focus on the physical bodies, I would be doing them a disservice and I wouldn’t be doing my profession much good. What’s going on in your heart? Are you lonely? Sad? Angry? These things all have inextricable links to your health and how your body reacts—whether you have disease or health. Health is not the absence of disease. If you don’t have a disease, it doesn’t mean you’re healthy. Health is really optimal wellness. I believe to have health you really need to have the balance in the mental, emotional and physical aspects of your life. Change your core beliefs about your relationship with food. If you have thoughts like, food is the enemy, or food makes me fat, these are the kind of beliefs that put you in the wrong direction. You may lose the weight for vanity reasons, but your weight loss won’t be for long. If you’re in a constant battle with food, you’re not going to have success. Food is good. It fuels us, it nourishes us, heals us and energizes every cell in our bodies. These beliefs will help you choose the healthy nutritious food over the sugar- and fat-laden, empty-calorie foods.
There’s no denying it. The mental aspects of weight loss are tough. Change is challenging, both mentally and physically. Add life into the mix and without consistent long-term dedication, not much is going to happen. Before you even start the process you need to get into why you want to change. I have clients that say, “I really want to lose the excess weight but I don’t feel
motivated.” Well, motivation is not a “feeling,” it’s your why, your reason for wanting to get healthy. You might want to write these reasons down so you’re able to access them and remind yourself when you hit roadblocks. Everybody wants to make a positive change. Beyond that initial motivation, taking responsibility is what we need in order to get what we want and not just talk about it. If you’re interested, you’ll do what’s convenient, but if you’re committed, you’ll do what it takes. People place the blame on outside sources, or think they need someone or something to help them reach their goal. Guess what? You don’t. Everything you need is already inside you, and once you start taking responsibility for your life, your actions, your choices, you can start crushing your goals.
When it comes to your food intake it boils down to this: Learn to eat well as a gift to yourself and a form of self-respect. Read that sentence again. Now read it once more. If you really let it sink in, then making the healthy choice is no longer a deprivation. If you can allow that message to resonate within you, then you’ve just ingested the sought-after “magic pill.”
We all want to be healthy, feel healthy and look healthy… So what’s eating you?
By Hennie Eisen
Hennie Eisen has over 20 years of experience in health and fitness. She holds a professional certification in personal fitness training from NFPT. In addition, she is a certified health coach.
